Good morning, ladies! I hope you had a restful night. El Hub fell asleep early, so I kept myself busy with makeup, TV (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants for the zillionth time) and an article about drug reform in The Economist.

This morning I thought I’d do a list post with some of my favorite makeup tips for brushes, lashes and brows.

The MAC 180 brush works well to lather shave cream on the face or body.

When dipping brushes into pressed powder products, like eye shadows, do not “mash” the brush into the pan. It breaks the fibers. It’s better for the brush (and more effective) to either swipe from side to side or run the brush around in a circle to gather powder.

Try using two brushes for some of those tricky applications like smoky eyes. Use one brush to pick up and apply the color and the other brush to blend.

When applying makeup, try holding the brush further away from the hair bundle, almost like holding chopsticks. This allows for greater control in application — not to mention, with the hands out of the way, greater visibility!

Brushes for personal use should be cleaned about once a week. For emollient-based product, use cleanse-off oil to emulsify and then brush cleanser to clean and condition.

If after makeup application you find it necessary to throw your brushes into a bag before cleaning, be sure to store the brushes used for liquid or cream products separately from the ones used for powder products (to avoid the cream dirtying the other brushes). If using the same bag for both, try wrapping the brushes for cream products in plastic wrap or a tissue before tossing them into the bag.

Love those lashes

When curling the lashes, squeeze twice: once closer to the lid and the next a little further toward the tip. It will deliver a longer lasting, more natural curl.

To thicken the lashes, apply two coats of Prep + Prime Lash. Let dry between coats for maximum effect.

For maximum deposit of mascara, “wiggle” the brush from root to tip during the application or apply from side to side rather than up and out.

To open and “lift” the eye, apply mascara to the top lashes only.

For a light coating of mascara, transfer some mascara to a MAC 204 brush and apply.

To help make the eye appear rounder, focus mascara application in the center of both the top and bottom lashes.

To elongate the eye, focus mascara application in the outer corners. Be sure to get the little lashes that tend to hide way out near the edge.

To separate the lashes and assist in achieving a soft, feathery appearance, brush through the lashes with the MAC 206 brush while it’s still wet with mascara.

For the appearance of thicker, richer lashes try a technique called “backing the lashes.” Line the eye from under the top lashes with a MAC 212 brush or a MAC 266 brush dipped in Fluidline.

For quick eye lining, run the tips of a MAC 266 brush along the mascara wand and apply when needed.

Try adding color on your lashes. Navy blue mascara is great for brightening the eye without looking like major color; violet mascara adds interest and enhances the appearance of green eyes.

Get bangin’ brows

When tweezing your eyebrows, it helps to map out the hairs you plan to tweeze by covering them with a light application of concealer or light colored pencil first.

For a more natural looking tinted brow, try focusing the application in the arch rather than the inner portion near the nose. A well-balanced eyebrow tends to be more dense in the arch.

Don’t underestimate the effect of brushing the brows. First brush against the hair growth to separate, then up and back towards the ear to shape.

For the bleached eyebrows look, use Brow Set in a shade one or two shades lighter than your brows. First, brush the wand against the grain of hair growth to cover the brow, and then dip the wand back into the tube and brush going with the grain.

If using both a brow pencil and a brow set, try using a darker pencil and lighter brow set for more dimension.

Fluidline in an appropriate shade, like Dipdown with the MAC 208 brush, is a great way to cover any scars or open areas in the eyebrow.

A light powder eye shadow color like Shroom, Ricepaper or Arena placed under the arch of the brow is a great way to highlight and define.

After applying a powder or pencil color to brows, brush through with the MAC 206 brush to soften. Set with an application of clear or tinted Brow Set.

Clean up any stray brush or pencil strokes with a little concealer and a MAC 194 brush. This helps to sharpen the edges.

In a pinch, Brow Set can be used to touch up the roots of the scalp as well.

You know what drives me nuts? When guys get really nice lashes and they totally don’t appreciate them. El Hub has the nicest, thickest, longest eyelashes and he just doesn’t get why I think they’re so marvelous!

Hi Karen, i recently subscribed to your blog and i love it =D Great tips by the way but i have a question.

I recently brought Studio Finish SPf 35 concealer, studio tech foundation and mineralize skinfinish/natural powder. I was wondering which specific brushes for each of the items should i buy to apply them with from M.A.C?

I’d really appreciate it if you can give me your insight. Thank you for the great blogs =D

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